


Sowing Discord

by chronologicalimplosion



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Epistolary, First Kiss, Homophobia, M/M, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29700495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronologicalimplosion/pseuds/chronologicalimplosion
Summary: A group of hyper-religious, homophobic protesters on campus ruins David's post-lunch good mood and he sends a half-joking message to the LGBTQ+ Discord server about staging a counterprotest. Constant lurker Patrick comes running.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 39
Kudos: 135





	Sowing Discord

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of a real life thing that actually happened to me on the actual Discord server of my school's trans org, except unlike Patrick I did not drop everything to make a mad dash across campus (even though I really wanted to). The regret has stuck with me, because _damn_ was e cute and nice and chill and now e's moved away and deleted eir Discord account. Alas!
> 
> Not based on any college in particular, names are mostly taken from buildings at my undergrad institution at random. This _does_ center around homophobes being gross in the background, but it's mostly a plot device and it's pretty generic Westboro Baptist fare. Still, it's definitely _there_ , so feel free to skip this one if making out in front of homophobes is not your preferred style of first kiss fic.

When the message came in, Patrick was in Turner Hall, tethered to his computer by his headphones and then to the table by his clunky laptop charger. He'd been stationed there for hours, desperately trying to take advantage of the fact that he wouldn't be interrupted by his roommate in the common space of the math building (which was a guaranteed distraction in his dorm) to white-knuckle through the litany of edits his essay on Romeo and Juliet still needed. He didn't really have a strong thesis statement, struggling to find a way to say anything interesting about the play that didn't boil down to insulting a timeless love story for 10 pages like any strong-headed college student who thought they knew everything. He was debating, not for the first time, scrapping it all to write about Mercutio, but he wasn't sure he actually bought that he and Romeo were in love. It felt like too much of a stretch, the kind of paltry scrap that only scholars focused exclusively on old English texts would try to make a queer meal out of. Patrick at least had Netflix, with its handful of queer characters who actually kissed onscreen.

He didn't get many Discord messages, which was the only reason he hadn't already silenced it along with his phone and the rest of the outside world. But the black-and-white avatar caught his attention immediately, and when he tabbed over to Discord, he paused to actually read the message instead of putting himself on Do Not Disturb like he _really should_.

 **D Rose (he/him)** Today at 12:42 PM  
ugh there are fucking homophobic protesters outside cates. would love to put on a show to rile them up but its just me here  
@here if anybody is close to cates and wants to stage a counterprotest by making out a little then ive got like 20 minutes until next class

Patrick's heart jumped up into his throat. He didn't know David, really, had only met him very briefly at the opening of the new dedicated LGBTQ center space that he'd gone to on a whim. They hadn't even talked--David had given an introduction to the whole room from which Patrick gleaned that David Rose was one of the VPs of the Queer Pride student organization, and that he was _gorgeous_. In spite of being on the discord server and getting all of the event notifications, Patrick hadn't managed to make it back to another event since, swamped in his possibly-too-heavy 18 hour course load.

David almost certainly didn't know _his_ name, and Patrick had a paper to be working on (and other homework to _start_ ), and he was still only half-sure he even wanted to date men. Yet, with the time pressure on such a perfect no-strings-attached offer to have his first gay kiss with a man as hot and sure of himself as David, Patrick was already half-out of his chair, tugging his earbuds out frantically, before he thought to shoot a message back.

 **bluejayabroad** Today at 12:45 PM  
Was just about to head back to Brady myself, I'll be there in 5.

And then Patrick immediately slammed his laptop shut, tossing it haphazardly in his bag with the charger still attached, and was speed-walking to the door while he zipped the pack up and slung it around his back. Once he pushed his way out into the slightly-chilled autumn air, he took off running.

Cates Dining Hall was, in fact, on the other side of campus. It wasn't _too_ far from his dorm, where he decidedly wasn't right now, and he was almost cursing himself for having picked this of all times to work all the way in Turner, of all places. The fastest he'd ever gotten himself from Brady to Turner had been going in the other direction, and had taken 8 minutes. Patrick was determined not to be late, though, and he'd never had motivation like this before.

The sprinting and dodging and occasional jumps over low brick retaining walls were good for keeping his mind occupied, and he had made it halfway there before he checked the time on his phone and, catching the little controller-in-a-speech-bubble logo on his lock screen, first considered that it might be worth knowing whether David had said anything in response. He slid the phone back in his pocket, focused on his breathing, and tried to make the earth move even faster underneath him. He'd just have to run fast enough to be able to check when he got there.

* * *

David pinched his face at his phone, holding it away from him like he was afraid it might bite him but had firmly ruled out the option of actually letting it slip out of his fingers. He could feel one eye twitching slightly. He had meant the message mostly as a joke, knowing full well that he'd already dated most everyone affiliated with the campus LGBT center who'd want to kiss him, largely to catastrophic disaster. Especially if you limited it to people who would visibly piss off the protesters, as opposed to the couple of bi girls who had too much self-respect to have a mistake-fling with someone they'd have to keep working with after.

When the shock wore off, he brought the phone back to his face and only became more confused. Whoever it was that had responded had done so _quickly_ , but still hadn't followed the guide to setting up a server nickname with pronouns. David was going to have to talk to his sister about whether they could somehow force people to do that, because it was a bad look. The bird traveler had also not included their actual name or set up a profile picture, though, so David wasn't surprised when he tabbed over to the search and found that they'd never made a single post in the Discord until today.

 **D Rose (he/him)** Today at 12:47 PM  
okay then, ill be behind the trees by the entrance trying not to combust

As David stood awkwardly under one of the trees out front of the dining hall, though, trying not to draw the ire of the protesters holding rather tasteless GOD HATES FAGS signs and chanting their shitty slogans, his curiosity and tempered excitement at the possibility of a fresh romantic prospect faded to an out-of-place nervousness. This was the kind of thing he and Stevie would egg each other into, or that he'd do with Jake because Jake would kiss basically anyone who wanted to kiss him at any time, but it was just him standing alone barely out-of-eyeline from a group of people that hated him. He didn't have his sister's courage, and he could feel himself crumpling and sweating being forced to listen to the homophobic chanting, even if he knew he had the moral high ground. He debated blasting Lady Gaga at them (that seemed like about the right era for their rhetoric), but ultimately decided against drawing any attention to himself and opened Discord again instead.

 **D Rose (he/him)** Today at 12:49 PM  
also you should really put your pronouns in your nickname  
i have no idea who you are rn

David was starting to think about bolting while he still could, desperate to be free from high-stakes contact with a stranger in an unfriendly environment, but he ultimately stood his ground. He'd made the arrangement in front of the whole Discord, after all, and he didn't want to be dragged through the mud later for backing down on his petty (and thirsty) act of queer rebellion.

Instead, he texted his sister, and sent Stevie a rolling-eyes emoji in response to an obnoxiously-pixelated and deeply unfunny meme she'd sent making fun of modern art. He then resorted to _checking his email_ where he found nothing but the usual deluge of inane campus updates and newsletters that there was no way to unsubscribe from as a student. He swiped each one off of his screen without opening them, and hit snooze on an email chain with one of the university officials who had taken issue with their purchase request for edible lube. It was for a blind taste-test event they were going to have to segue into the annual safe sex presentation, so it was actually _very important_ to the cause of getting horny college kids to care about personal responsibility, but having that conversation with an old straight white university official would have taken extra special tact even if he were someone else. He wasn't desperate enough to make himself want to draft _that_ email sober, even if it left him with little left to do but stare at the clock on his lock screen and listen to his own thoughts.

When his phone finally read 12:51, a full _six minutes_ after the basically-anonymous five-minutes-away message had been sent, David convinced himself that he'd made eye contact with one of the protesters and decided to cut his losses. He could always say later that he'd waited around as long as he could before he had to get to class, if anyone even asked later. He was pretty sure his know-it-all kid sister would tell him that no one would, and maybe she was right. More than likely, Migratory Bird had already gotten distracted by something else and would send him a "sorry, something came up" message seven hours later, if at all.

So David started to skirt around the bigoted mob's bubble of attention as much as he could without going completely out of the way for his class--he wasn't looking to get sweaty in the unseasonably warm weather or spend any more time than he had to in a parking lot with a dumpster. He did a cursory sweep for the presence of anyone he recognized or who at least pinged his gaydar, coming up empty, before opening up the text chain with Stevie to occupy himself composing a critique of actual, contemporary, _relevant_ pieces of modern art to prove that it could be done with wit and insight.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when, fairly certain he'd cleared the bubble of needless outrage but not entirely sure, someone shouted his name. He looked behind him, mostly out of a fearful need to double-check, but the voice hadn't actually come from that direction. People were largely rolling their eyes at the protesters and giving them a wide berth, and though that seemed to be no deterrent to them, nobody was looking directly at him.

When he turned back to the direction the voice had come from, though, cautious but no longer spooked, he couldn't quite figure out who had actually shouted it. There was no one he recognized, although... well, that one man in off-the-Macy's-rack jeans with the curly copper hair did seem like he might be jogging towards David. He certainly wasn't jogging towards anything else that college students normally jogged towards...

Still, David stopped and looked around as surreptitiously as he could manage--which was not very.

"David, hi! Glad I, uh. Managed to catch you," the man said as he slowed to a stop a few feet in front of David. His breath was coming in deep heaves, though he was breathing in loudly through his nose and his face was tinged with hope.

David pressed his lips together, considering, for just a beat too long as the stranger's hopeful smile started to slip. "I guess you must be... the flighty bird?"

The hesitant look of broken hope stayed frozen on his face, and he eventually responded "...I'm sorry?"

"The... foreign cardinal?" David tried again, shrinking into himself slightly but rolling his eyes boldly.

There was another beat before the other man's face cracked into an unrestrained smile and he started laughing in a few short barks. "Do you mean _Blue Jay Abroad_? As in the Toronto Blue Jays?"

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not intimately familiar with the range of Canadian birds or your presumed hometown."

That only increased the laughter. "David, they're a sports team."

"Okay, shall we poll the Discord and see how many of the good, queer, pronoun-respecting citizens would be able to place that?" David replied archly, gesturing to the phone still in his hand and then shaking it at arm's length near Patrick's face.

"Sorry, I'll change it," he replied, sobering up significantly. He seemed genuinely remorseful, at a level appropriate to the crime. "My name's Patrick. He/him."

Patrick stuck out his hand and David reluctantly took it, immediately surprised at the way Patrick's grip walked the line between the most common camps of loose, half-assed handshakes and overly-tight machismo posturing. He gave David's hand a firm shake, but the squeeze was oddly tender. They both held on for a moment too long before they realized what they were doing and dropped each other's hands like hot coals.

Suddenly, their feet were very interesting.

"Sorry I'm a little late. Really underestimated how much the rush minute on the quad would slow me down."

When David looked back up at Patrick, he'd fished his phone out of his pocket and was smiling tentatively at David, genuine remorse on his face. David glanced at his own phone, seeing that Patrick had been--at most--two minutes late. And, from the looks of it, he'd _run_ trying to make it.

He would not have pegged Patrick. Straight-laced and punctual and... athletic. And looking at him intently with those soft brown eyes.

"Do you... still have time, or do you need to get to class?" Patrick asked softly, making David realize he'd still not said anything.

He slid his phone back in his pocket and then struggled to figure out where to put his hands. "Mmhm, nope, I've got time. We can-" He gestured vaguely behind him. "We can go. And kiss a little. For the cause."

"Right," Patrick responded lightly. "For the cause." There was a suggestion of a smile at the corner of Patrick's mouth, hands tucked in his back pockets, but mostly he was looking intently at David.

"You don't. You don't _have to_." David had to pull each word out of himself with great effort, ready to burn up under whatever unspoken question had Patrick's eyebrows tilted up like they were.

"I want to," Patrick replied softly. After a beat, he held a hand out in front of him, palm up and fingers loose. David grabbed it hesitantly, and Patrick's face lit up in a barely-restrained smile, lacing their fingers together. He walked past David towards the angry protesters, turning as he passed to walk backwards and tug David gently with him. His eyes were repeatedly flicking between their joined hands and David's face, smiling openly and full of awe. David felt like he was going to burn up under his gaze.

Patrick stopped walking when they were at the edge of the brick courtyard where the screaming fire and brimstone protesters had gathered. David took another step forward, not quite expecting the stop, and found himself extremely close to Patrick, their hands still joined, slightly off-balance. Patrick smiled even wider somehow.

David could vaguely hear people shouting about god and hell and not lying with a man as one lies with a woman, but only barely over the rush of his own blood in his ears. Patrick wrapped his free hand around David's neck to encourage him down just slightly, but didn't close the distance the whole way.

David squeezed Patrick's hand in his and slipped his other underneath Patrick's backpack, splayed between his shoulder blades. He leaned down into the scant space between them to meet his lips. Patrick's lips were soft and still for the shortest fraction of a second as he exhaled, then he was pressing eagerly up into David, standing up on his toes. There was very little air between them.

Someone from the group of bigots behind Patrick rose to the bait, shouting "Turn from your sins or you're going to burn forever in hell! Don't forsake your eternal spirit chasing the pleasures of the flesh!" David was still only distantly aware of it, feeling floaty until Patrick let go of his hand. Surprised by the sudden absence, David opened his eyes to see Patrick smiling wickedly and shooting a middle finger over his shoulder.

He only held the gesture for a few seconds, though, before that hand too found David's neck and Patrick was kissing him intently, open-mouthed, swiping his tongue out towards David's lips. David tuned out the responding cries easily, looping his newly-free arm around Patrick's lower back. He was electrified with the dozen points of contact between their bodies, and the intensity of Patrick's mouth on his.

David let his hand slide down a few inches to give Patrick's ass a very public squeeze, and was rewarded with the feeling of Patrick's breath catching against his own lips. David nipped at his lower lip and felt Patrick start to melt, fingertips digging into his own shoulders.

When they finally pulled apart, David reluctantly opened his eyes to see that they had managed to draw the protest off to their half of the courtyard, and that a number of bystanders were glancing between the two of them and the shouting sign-holders. David did his best job to level a sincere glare over Patrick's head even as he was kiss-dazed and more than a little turned on. "I hope you die mad about it," he managed to shout with a fairly even voice, and then he slid one hand to where Patrick's were still resting on his shoulders.

Patrick was smiling up at him, like he'd never seen anything like David, like he never wanted to look away. He took the hint, though, and grabbed David's hand with a squeeze.

They pulled apart and Patrick just pulled David with him, away from the courtyard, off to the spot where they'd first run into each other and beyond. Patrick seemed even more breathless now, David thought smugly.

They walked in silence, side-by-side, in no particular hurry, until David finally remembered something. "Hold on, didn't you say you were going back to your dorm?"

Patrick blinked a few times and then smiled ruefully down at his shoes. His voice was a little tight when he answered, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. "I guess I did say that, huh? I... might've been lying."

David's eyebrows raised high on his head and he chewed the thought over for a second, pressing his lips together to hold off a smile. "And why would you do that, Patrick?"

Patrick met his eyes, somehow clearly smiling even though his lips curved downwards. "Because it seemed like a good excuse to kiss you, and I wanted to."

"Oh."

That only emboldened him further. "And I'd like to do it more."

"... _Oh_."

Patrick took a few steps off the walkway towards a line of decorative trees and then stopped, looking at David expectantly. "So I don't really need to be anywhere."

David started nodding vigorously, not quite able to meet Patrick's heated gaze. "Mmhm, mmmhmm."

Something made Patrick's smile fall suddenly, then, glancing at the ground. "But you do have a class, don't you? You're probably going to be late."

David mouthed a quiet _fuck_ to himself, punctuating it by tapping the pinched fingers of his free hand against Patrick's shoulder.

Patrick looked at him for a long moment, smile returning, and then leaned up to press one more soft kiss into David's lips. David hummed softly.

"So you should probably go to class."

"Mmhm, fine. Yes. Okay. Here's what we're going to do." David tapped Patrick on his shoulder and took a steadying breath. "You're going to DM me your phone number, and I will text you if and only if you change your nickname to match the server guidelines."

Patrick smiled much wider than he could manage to contain. "I'm pretty sure I can manage that."

"Good."

David reluctantly pulled away from Patrick, indulging himself with one last slow, mostly-chaste kiss before he reclaimed his own hands and checked to make sure his sweater was still arranged properly. "Bye, Patrick."

"Bye, David."

* * *

David pulled Discord up on his computer as he pretended to pay attention to the professor droning on about kinds of soil. He already had one DM waiting for him, but he checked the campus pride server first.

 **Migratory Bird (he/him)** Today at 12:59 PM  
So is there anything we can actually DO about the screaming bigots camped outside of one of the two dining halls on campus during the lunch rush?  
Or are they just allowed to be as loud and terrible as they want if they're not technically physically hurting anybody?

 **Ky (they/them)** Today at 1:02 PM  
Yeah unfortunately they're like  
ALLOWED TO BE THERE, apparently??  
It's dumb but we've tried before and the university never does anything about it.

 **Violet (she/her)** Today at 1:03 PM  
🔥 🙃 💀 🔥

 **Migratory Bird (he/him)** Today at 1:05 PM  
Yeah, okay, great.  
That doesn't make their poster campaigns seem incredibly performative or anything.

 **Ky (they/them)** Today at 1:05 PM  
Welcome to hell!

 **D Rose (he/him)** Today at 1:07 PM  
patrick!!

 **Migratory Bird (he/him)** Today at 1:07 PM  
What, David?

 **D Rose (he/him)** Today at 1:07 PM  
that is not what i meant about your nickname  
and you know it

 **Migratory Bird (he/him)** Today at 1:08 PM  
I'm following the guidelines.  
It specifically says you don't have to use your real name.  
In fact, I think you're the one breaking the rules here.

>   1. Server users must include their pronouns in their nickname. Names are preferred to usernames. Pseudonyms or preferred names are fine. Do not deadname or reveal anyone's identity without permission. Just because you're out doesn't mean everyone else is!
> 


**Migratory Bird (he/him)** Today at 1:10 PM  
I might have to take this up with a moderator.

David froze, his heart threatening to fall out of his body, and frantically deleted the message where he'd named Patrick without permission. He should _really_ know better. It was just- it felt an awful lot like Patrick was teasing him, trying to get a rise out of him. That was a bad excuse. They'd known each other for less than half an hour, it wasn't like they had inside jokes. It wasn't like he could read Patrick's tone over text.

And then Patrick sent him another DM, and David clicked over and released a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

 **bluejayabroad** Today at 12:58 PM  
416-728-2739

 **bluejayabroad** Today at 1:11 PM  
Hey. David, was it? I'd like to report a rules violation.  
I'm being attacked by a very cute boy who told me he was going to text me if I changed my nickname.

 **rosewithtehmoon** Today at 1:13 PM  
oh my GOD where do you even get off being this confident

 **bluejayabroad** Today at 1:15 PM  
I'll consider changing it if you text me.  
If you're sure that's what you want.

* * *

Patrick was pacing back and forth nervously just inside the elevator lobby of his dorm, not yet willing to risk Ray's interruptions or intrusions. His blood was on fire, and he was pretty damn sure he wasn't going to be able to write any more about fucking Romeo and Juliet today. He might never be able to again. Who gave a shit about old straight love stories where everyone miscommunicated to death when he could be kissing _David Rose?_

When a text finally came through that just said "im going to assume migratory bird is your full preferred name then i hope youre prepared for your fate", he finally managed to stop pacing and let the smile overtake his face.

_Maybe that's the name I'll put our dinner reservations under. Think they'll take it?_

Patrick stared at the three dots on his screen as he finally made his way into the elevator behind a group of other students, pretty sure he already knew the answer. He imagined David, flustered, chewing his own lip while he pretended to deliberate but was actually just trying to word his answer carefully.

He started to weigh the merits of sending the protest church group a thank-you bouquet with a card detailing how they'd managed to set him up on his very first real gay date.

**Author's Note:**

> Speaking of Discord, I've heard people in summaries talking about a fandom discord so uh. If anybody wanted to let me know about that, I would be interested.


End file.
